Fifth Congressional District candidates talk keys to economic recovery ahead of election

KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO) — With just a week before Election Day, several Congressional races are coming down the home stretch.

One of those races is in South Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District, where Congressman Ralph Norman (R-SC) squares off against Democratic challenger Moe Brown.

After being represented by Democrats for nearly 130 straight years, a streak that ended when Mick Mulvaney defeated longtime Congressman John Spratt in 2010, a Republican has held South Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District seat in five straight elections. 

Norman has served the district since Mulvaney resigned to serve in the Trump administration in 2017, but is going up against a new challenger in Brown, a former Gamecock wide receiver who served under Governor Nikki Haley in the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

Both candidates have differing views on how the federal government can spark economic recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There’s a bill up that Miss Pelosi had that wants to pay them through January an additional $1200. I go in so many businesses that can’t find employees to produce their product. You shouldn’t pay people to stay home as opposed to coming back to work,” Norman said.

Brown is a big proponent of using government assistance as a means to stimulate the economy, something he says should come in the form of a $1,200 check.

“We need to be looking at the data to see if ($1200) even is right amount and how do we do it and what cadence to get the stimulus to the people,” Brown said.

Both candidates plan on going across the 200-mile district over the next week to encourage people to get out and vote.

“I’m a Conservative, I’m a Freedom Caucus member. In this election, we’re looking at government-run socialism health care versus freedom,” Norman said.

Brown is hoping a blue wave hits South Carolina, something he said could happen if more people line up at their polling places.

“The breaking of norms and principles of this country by the Republican Party has been flagrant,” Brown said. “So believe it, don’t question it, and go vote, go vote, go vote, and I think if we do that, we’ll get our country back.” 

For a deeper look at how the candidates feel about economic recovery, children returning to school, and other issues facing the Fifth District, click here.